Newsom Pitches Health Care For All Poor, Undocumented People (4)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday asked the Legislature to set aside $614 million to make California the first state to set up health care for all low-income residents regardless of immigration status.

“California is poised to be, if this proposal is supported, the first state in the country to achieve universal access to health coverage,” Newsom (D) said during a budget news conference.

The plan would expand state Medicaid (Medi-Cal) coverage, including long-term care and behavioral health care, he said. The request for the next fiscal year would be annualized to $2.2 billion into the future.

The proposal is ...